Ramón Allones Caprichos (ER Spain 2014)

Once again I find myself reviewing another Edición Regional from Habanos, S.A., and once again it is a familiar marca – Ramón Allones. For its 10th year of existence, the Edición Regional program once again favored Ramón Allones in 2014. Five different vitolas were planned for the marca in 2014, though as of now only three have been released.

Number of Cigars Released: 5,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)

Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The reddish brown wrapper is soft and oily to the touch, though it has a very bumpy surface and looks just a touch rough around the edges. There’s some discoloration, blemishes and veins that give this ER a slightly rustic look. There is a slight bit of give when squeezed, but nothing overly soft. The aroma off the wrapper is almost nonexistent, just some very light hay and earthiness. The cold draw is thankfully more involved, though it’s quite a soft profile of creamy cedar, vanilla and hints of fresh hay.

Starting into the first third there is a slight run in the burn line as I’m lighting it, not making me overly confident in the future of the burn. The profile fares only slightly better with some earthy cedar, coffee and vanilla notes, but unfortunately there’s a harsh sourness that is tell tale youth for the profile. The burn gets slightly better as I move on and while the ash holds on to around an inch, it’s quite flaky and not very dense. Each draw is smooth and snug, though it’s within the ideal range, producing plenty of smoke that quickly dissipates as the cigar rests. The sour bitterness has reduced slightly, allowing a little more of the profile to shine through with some added spice and a touch of black pepper.

The second third starts with some great cinnamon, coffee, cedar and spice notes. The vanilla and black pepper are still around, just very faint in the background. The burn has evened up somewhat, though it’s still slightly ragged and needs a bit of encouragement from my lighter occasionally. The ash continues to hold firm while at the same time flaking off generously. The profile continues with more of the same, though the bitterness has reared its head again.

The final third continues to deteriorate, with more bitter harshness that overwhelms much of the profile. The only notes that are distinguishable are cedar and cinnamon. Unfortunately, and probably related, the burn doesn’t fair too well either, requiring multiple touch ups to not only keep the burn on track, but in some cases keep the cigar burning. With about an inch left there’s not much reason I see for me to keep going, as it’s a literal hot mess at this point and overall quite unpleasant.

Final Notes

Due to Spain’s low taxes and the small size, this is one of the cheapest Edición Regionals of all-time.

Altadis S.A. is the distributor for Habanos S.A. in Spain.

Each sample seemed to perform slightly different in the first two thirds, one better than the other two, however all three ended up in a mess by the final third.

I’m sure age plays a factor in this, as many of the harsh notes were quite obvious to be youth related.

Ramón Allones is by far the most popular brand for the Edición Regional series, which is currently at 31 different releases in the series.

2014 saw five different Ramón Allones, while 2015 currently only has one.

The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

Final smoking time averaged an hour and a half.

Ramón Allones Caprichos (ER Spain 2014)

Brian Burt

May 17, 2015

76/10

I’ve stated before that Ramón Allones is one of my favorite marcas from Cuba, however this release fell quite short of what I’ve come to expect. We’ve talked about youth in the ER series before and this one is no exception. With the last few Edición Regionals releases that I’ve reviewed having quite a number of years on them, it was a stark contrast to once again experience a recent release. Time might do some good for this cigar, hopefully soothing the harshness that seemed so prevalent throughout, though burn issues also ran rampant perhaps suggesting that there might not be so much hope. For now, there are plenty of other special and regular releases that I’d much rather smoke, and I suggest that you stick to them as well.

76Overall Score

I’ve stated before that Ramón Allones is one of my favorite marcas from Cuba, however this release fell quite short of what I’ve come to expect. We’ve talked about youth in the ER series before and this one is no exception. With the last few Edición Regionals releases that I’ve reviewed having quite a number of years on them, it was a stark contrast to once again experience a recent release. Time might do some good for this cigar, hopefully soothing the harshness that seemed so prevalent throughout, though burn issues also ran rampant perhaps suggesting that there might not be so much hope. For now, there are plenty of other special and regular releases that I’d much rather smoke, and I suggest that you stick to them as well.

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010 I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion. Besides my cigar hobby and job in the IT industry, my wife and I love traveling, trying new restaurants and relaxing at home with our two dogs.